Hands setting mechanism for an electric timepiece



E. SCHWAAR Jan. 10, 1967 HANDS SETTING MECHANISM FOR AN ELECTRIC TIMEPIECE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 25, 1965 Y/ ///I//////V// 19 36 Z0 FIG.?

Jan. 10, 1967 E. SCHWAAR 3,296,790

HANDS SETTING MECHANISM FOR AN ELECTRIC TIMEPIECE Filed Aug. 25, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 9 m: .v I v 4 26 170. \\\\\\\W\\\\\\\\ W? AV/A /////A\ 2 v FIG. 4

United States Patent 3,296,790 HANDS SETTING MECHANISM FOR' AN ELECTRIC TIMEPIECE Edouard Schwaar, Bienne, Switzerland, assignor to Societ'e Suisse pour IIndustrie Horlogere S.A., Geneva, Switzerland, a firm of Switzerland Filed Aug. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 481,638 Claims priority, application witzerland, Aug. 27, 1964,

Claims. (Cl. 5885.5)

This invention relates to electric timepieces having a driving and regulating mechanism and comprising indicator-hands for hours, minutes and seconds.

The electric timepiece according to the invention is characterized in that its three indicator-hands are linked desmodromically in such manner that none of them can be moved without the other two and in that the hands set mechanism of the timepiece acts on means coupled to the coupling device connecting the driving and regulating mechanism to said indicator-hands, such that the driving mechanism is decoupled from the indicator hands when the hands-set mechanism is operative whereby the setting of the three hands may be carried out simultaneously, without affecting the continued operation of the driving and regulating mechanism.

One embodiment of the invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which only the parts required for an understanding of the invention are shown. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of one portion of the electric timepiece the hands-set mechanism of which is in its inoperative position,

FIGURES 2 and 3 are two sections, along the lines II-II and III-III respectively of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 4 is a plan view, similar to that of FIGURE 1, but in which the hands-set mechanism is in its operating position.

The timepiece illustrated comprises an actuating balance 1, the oscillations of which are maintained electrically by means (not shown) and which actuates a count anchor 2 which controls the step by-step rotation of a count wheel 3, the arbor 4 of which carries at its opposite end a pinion 5 engaging with a seconds wheel 6 located at the centre of the movement. The seconds wheel 6 is mounted at one end of a small staff 7 at the opposite end of which there is mounted a seconds hand 8. The seconds wheel 6 is solid with a pinion 9 engaging the middle wheel 10 whose pinion, indicated by 10a, itself engages with a wheel 11 that is solid with a cannon pinion 12 of the nonfriction type. This cannon pinion carries, in the form of an end cap, a pipe 13 on which the minutes hand indicated at 14 is mounted. The pinion of the cannon pinion 12 which is indicated at 12a engages with the wheel 15 of motion work of which the pinion indicated at 16 controls the pipe wheel for the hours which is indicated at 17. The pipe wheel 17 carries an hours hand 18.

Thus, the three hands, 8, 14 and 18, for seconds, minutes and hours respectively, are linked desmodromically with each other in such manner that it is impossible to move any one of them without moving the other two, no friction-type coupling being interposed in the mechanism connecting them together.

The set-hands mechanism for the timepiece described and illustrated is of the shifting type. It comprises a stem 19 carrying a sliding pinion 20 that is axially moveable so that it can occupy two positions, one (see FIGURE 1) when pushed in, in which the hands-set mechanism is inoperative, and the other (see FIGURE 4) when pulled out, in which the hands-set mechanism can be operated. In the first position the contrate teeth of the sliding pinion 20 are disengaged from the hands-set intermediate wheel,

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indicated at 21, while in the second position the contrate teeth of the sliding pinion 20 engage with the hands-set intermediate wheel 21 in such manner that the rotation of the stem 19 turns the middle wheel 10 with which said intermediate wheel engages.

The. set-hands stem 19 controls by means of its axial movement a lever 23 pivoted at 24 on the body of the movement and subject to the action of a lever spring 25. This lever acts on a rocking bar 26 pivotally mounted at 27 on the body of the movement and controlling on the one hand the axial movement of the sliding pinion 20 and on the other hand, by means of a pin 28, the displacement of a lever 29 fixed to an arbor 30 that bears in turn on a second lever, indicated by 31, on which there is mounted the upper bearing (indicated at 32 in FIGURE 3) for the arbor 4 which carries the pinion 5.

Thus, when the hands-set mechanism is in its inoperative position, as shown in FIGURE 1 and in FIGURE 3, the arbor 4 occupies a normal position in relation to the plan of the movement, :the pinion 5 engaging with the seconds wheel 6. In this position a connection between the actuating balance and the indicating elements is established. On the other hand, when the hands-set mechanism is in its operative position, as shown in FIGURE 4, the bearing 32 by reason of the displacement of the lever 31 occupies a position in which the arbor 4 has been shifted, disengaging the pinion 5 from the seconds wheel 6. In this position the connection between the actuating balance 1 and the indicating elements is broken. Thus the handsset mechanism allows the three hands 8, 14 and 18 to be moved simultaneously without the driving and regulating mechanism being affected.

It should be noted that a drawback-spring 29a (FIG- URES 1 and 4) formed by a portion of the lever 29 cut to shape and bent back bears against the pivot 27 of the rocking bar 26 so as to tend to maintain the levers 29 and 31 in the linked position shown in FIGURE 1. An eccen tric adjustable stop 33 serves to support the lever 29 when it is not subjected to the action of the pin 28 carried by the rocking arm 26.

The seconds wheel 6 is solid with a raised disc 6a which is formed with a notch 34 with which a jumper-spring 35 co-operates. This latter has a heel portion 35a pivoting at 36 on the lever 31; this heel portion 35a also carries a pin 37 which engages with very slight play in a hole 38 arranged in a fixed bridge-piece 39 forming part of the movement (FIGURE 3). When the hands-set mechanism is in its inoperative position, as shown in FIGURE 1, the jumper-spring 35 occupies a position in which its tip is out of contact with the disc 6a. On the other hand, when the hands-set mechanism is brough to its operating position (FIGURE 4) the displacement of lever 31, due to the pin 37 engaging in the hole 38 of the bridge-piece 39, effects a rotational movement of the jumper 35 that brings it into engagement with the disc 6a. Consequently, with every turn of this disc as setting by hand proceeds, the tip of the jumper engages in the notch 34, forcing the manipulator to make an added efiort to free said notch from the jumper. The relative position of the seconds hand 8 and the notch 34 of the disc 6a is such that the jumper 35 lodges in the said notch when the seconds hand is opposite the figure 12 on the dial. This arrangement facilitates the exact setting of the time piece, allowing the manipulator to bring the seconds hand precisely to zero.

What I claim is:

1. In an electric timepiece having a driving mechanism, an hour indicator hand, a minute indicator hand and a second indicator hand; an improvement comprising means linking the indicator hands together such that none of them can be moved without the other two, coupling means between the driving mechanism and said hands for the drive of the latter, a hands-set mechanism having oper- 0 ative and inoperative positions, and means between said hands-set mechanism and the coupling means for freeing the latter from the driving mechanism when the hands-set mechanism is in said operative position, such that the driving mechanism can remain in operation while the hands-set mechanism is being operated.

2. In an electric timepiece as claimed in claim 1, a cam rigid with the said seconds hand, said cam being provided with a notch, and a jumper cooperating with the same cam such that Whenever the seconds hand reaches a predetermined hands-set position, said jumper engages in a notch of said cam, so that added effort is necessary to free the seconds hand from said position.

3. In an electric timepiece as claimed in claim 2, wherein said jumper is movable and is engaged by the means between said hands-set mechanism and the coupling means such that when the hands-set mechanism is in its inoperative position said jumper is maintained at a distance from said cam, whereas when the hands-set mechanism is in operative position said jumper is in contact with said cam.

4. In an electric timepiece as claimed in claim 1, wherein said coupling means comprises a gear train connecting the driving mechanism and the hands and including a sliding pinion, said means between said hands-set mechanism and the coupling means comprising a rocking bar subject to the action of the hands-set mechanism and controlling the said sliding pinion such that when said hands-set mechanism is in its inoperative position said pinion occupies a working position establishing a connenction between the driving mechanism and the hands whereas, when the hands-set mechanism is in its operative position, said pinion is displaced to render said gear train inoperative and interrupt the connection between the driving mechanism and said hands.

5. In an electric timepiece as claimed in claim 4 wherein said means between the hands-set mechanism and the coupling means further comprises a rocking arbor carrying said pinion, bearings for the said rocking arbor, and a rocking arm subject to the action of the hands-set mechanism carrying one of said bearings.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,129,554 4/1964 Yasukawa 5823 FOREIGN PATENTS 824,471 12/1951 Germany.

RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner.

GERALD F. BAKER, Examiner. 

1. IN AN ELECTRIC TIMEPIECE HAVING A DRIVING MECHANISM, AN HOUR INDICATOR HAND, A MINUTE INDICATOR HAND AND A SECOND INDICATOR HAND; AN IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING MEANS LINKING THE INDICATOR HANDS TOGETHER SUCH THAT NONE OF THEM CAN BE MOVED WITHOUT THE OTHER TWO, COUPLING MEANS BETWEEN THE DRIVING MECHANISM AND SAID HANDS FOR THE DRIVE OF THE LATTER, A HANDS-SET MECHANISM HAVING OPERATIVE AND INOPERATIVE POSITIONS, AND MEANS BETWEEN SAID HANDS-SET MECHANISM AND THE COUPLING MEANS FOR FREEING THE LATTER FROM THE DRIVING MECHANISM WHEN THE HANDS-SET MECHANISM IS IN SAID OPERATIVE POSITION, SUCH THAT THE DRIVING MECHANISM CAN REMAIN IN OPERATION WHILE THE HANDS-SET MECHANISM IS BEING OPERATED. 